Hi from Dom in Oregon

[DomG]

Who has time to read life stories so here's some bullet comments to introduce myself:

Christian Man
Conservative
Retired Army Ranger, Airborne (24 years)
Oregon Coast Range; growing @ 6K trees
Fish sometimes
Bow Hunt
Rifle Hunt
Civil Defense Training
Ham Radio (Gen/HF)
Reloader
Collector
Mountain Bike
Life Member of NRA & GOA
Forestry
Not a poacher!

Why I'm here; I learned to bow hunt while living half of my adult life in the SE; oh how I miss hunting in the SE. I have very fond memories of hunting Whitetails in the old Pecan plantations along the Chattahoochee R, so ... this year I'm traveling to Tennessee to bow hunt.

The Blacktails on my property aren't afraid of me so I'm loosing my hunting skills. "

"Killing a buck in my woodlot is more of a harvest than it is a hunt".

I'm bringing myself back to the basics by locating a hunt unit, finding a buck's pattern to ambush him with my bow and arrows.

BTX-31 & KUDU Points have served me very well up here in the Oregon Coast Range.

I chose Southwest Tennessee (public or pay for private land) because I also have a very close friend who lives there, who I'm also introducing the sport of archery hunting-to.

Some pics

 

[TNlandowner]

Welcome,
RLTW

 

[FourWFarm]

Welcome!
If you are wanting to hunt SW TN, you need to educate yourself on CWD.
Seems that many bucks in SW TN are testing positive.

 

[Big Pop]

Welcome sir and good luck!

 

[swampbadger]

Yes SW TN has cwd positive deer. It's up to you on how to proceed. It's a non issue to me I've been eating them long before they started testing and have been eating them ever since and my family has been happy and healthy doing so.

Killing a buck with a bow on public can be done, but the odds are greatly stacked against you.

An early season bow buck is something I've yet to accomplish here. Personally, it's a thorn in my side that I've yet to accomplish once, much less with any kind of regularity.

Weather… Lack of steady wind makes most balmy october hunts a waste of time. The deer are not moving far in the heat and are quick to relocate at the first hunter intrusion. If your scent is looming and pooling around you the deer aren't coming within range. Having wind is crucial IMO. otherwise, It's just giving the deer a free education on where you are trying to hunt.

Lack of preferred foods on public land put the deer out of the swamps and woods and they are focused on agriculture fields that are private during that time. Bow hunting fields down here will totally have you chasing your tail. Watching deer approach a field from different sides based on the wind makes finding a huntable pattern difficult.

Acorns drop in mid to late october and that's usually when I try to key in on deer. I can usually kill a doe or two the last few weeks of october once acorns drop but it usually dismally bad before that time for me. The deer key in on certain trees that are dropping and it's easier to get them in range there.

Halloween things pick up and the first few weeks of november are your best chance to kill one with a bow. It's pre rut! but conversely it's also the best time for me to kill one with a gun and business (hunting pressure) picks up immensely in November.